


Children of Time

by Kyni, OrphielBurrito



Series: Of time and universes [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who: Past Doctor Adventures - Various Authors
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cosmology, Disassociation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Illness, Self-Harm, Telepathic Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-17 21:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyni/pseuds/Kyni, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrphielBurrito/pseuds/OrphielBurrito
Summary: The Valeyard is gone and the Doctor has to learn how to be the Doctor again. The Master has a plan to make it happen - because a universe without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about - but things get a bit complicated when the two travellers meet the most annoying children in the entire history of time.





	1. Disassociation

The bathroom mirror reflected their features in a way that didn't seem quite right. The Doctor recognized the features but not the face, they couldn't comprehend the fact that this face was indeed theirs. Their body didn't belong to them anymore. It was a body that had been taken over, eaten away by something else, something dangerous and cruel that had left them in pieces. Their long pale hands brushed the cheeks, the nose, the lips. Nothing made sense. It didn't belong to them. They were nothing but a guest, renting a room in this flesh for a while, until something else came along. They felt like a parasite – existing, but slightly to the left.

The Master had agreed to let them bury themself in the bathroom for a while. However terrified of being alone they were, they couldn't face him, not quite yet. They could barely face themself.

Their eyes glanced over the bathroom, its lamps shaped like fireflies floating all around the ceiling, the gigantic bathtub carved in a formation of grey crystal, the delicate path of light that led to it, details they were barely registering. This was wrong. All of it was wrong. It wasn't home. Home didn't quite exist. Had they ever had a home? To have a home, one must exist. None of this was real.

The first thing to go was the mirror. It had dared reflecting an image that wasn't the truth and presenting them with this illusion ; it had to go. It broke into a million pieces that cut their fist and their arm, drawing a multitude of tiny cuts on their skin. They watched the blood flow and flood the bathroom, fascinated by its dark red colour contrasting so much with the grey tones of their surrounding.

Then the lights, the tiny little fireflies suspended for eternity in an aimless flight. They crushed each and everyone of them between their fingers, shivering when the pieces of shattered glass cut their skin. At least the pain was real.

The Master found them curled up on the floor, naked and covered in blood, surrounded by the remnants of the bathroom that they had destroyed. He said nothing and wrapped his arms around them.

  
  


They didn't know how to be the Doctor anymore. They even recoiled every time the Master tried to use this name.

He told them to run, to save the world, to go on unbelievable adventures just for the sake of it, but they couldn't. They couldn't run alone and they certainly couldn't take a new human companion. Another human they would destroy or lose, another life to ruin in the blink of an eye, another person to seduce and put under their spell and push to commit the ultimate sacrifice for them? That had to stop. In their current state, they didn't know what they could do to a human being – or they knew it too well. The same thing they had done to so many before.

Ian and Barbara that they had forced into their ship, such a long time ago. Jamie and Zoe whose memory had been altered by the Time Lords. Adric, although not technically a human. Rose. Charley. Alison. All of them... they had paid such a high price for travelling with _the Doctor._ Even Susan, their beloved Arkytior – they had abandoned her and never came back for her. Would they ever come back? They couldn't possibly show up eleven lives later as if nothing had happened, as if they hadn't forgotten her.

“Then stay with me,” had offered the Master. 

“You should be off trying to rule the world. Not this. And you were the one refusing to travel with me after...

\- It was different. I wanted to win. And I didn't want to be your prisoner, which I won't be this time.

\- No. I'll be yours.”

He caressed their cheek before taking their chin between two fingers, making them look at him. 

“Not this time. Later, maybe... And we must discuss rules and contracts and belonging. But for starters, let's just say we'll be travelling as equals. As... friends.”

It was clear that there was another word he wanted to use but the Doctor was not able to figure it out. They were too lost and disconnected from their own thoughts to read his. The words of rules and contracts and belonging had shaken them enough to bring them back to reality, just a bit, just for a second, but it didn't last. Contracts. They would need to build one if they wanted to travel as equals, yes. Set out rules of what they were or weren't allowed to do and what would break the contract. It would be the bare minimum to ensure a pleasant cohabitation.

Somehow, the Doctor managed to feel the Master's deep satisfaction. He wouldn't rule the world but by travelling with them as equals and setting out these rules, he would rule them – as much as they were ruling him. Or were they just imagining things, projecting? They shook their head and escaped his grasp to curl up again, arms wrapped around their knees. 

“I don't want your _rules,”_ they groaned.

“Now that's more like you. But you know we'll destroy each other if we don't establish boundaries. Think about it, Doctor... I'm not as fragile as the humans you've been travelling with. I can resist you and keep you in check. Now, I can't promise I'll be as quiet and pleasant as you want me to be. I can't promise I won't threaten to throw you out of my ship or into the Eye of Harmony. But I'm the best choice you have.”

He was. And no matter how much the Doctor hated taking this risk, it was the lesser of all possible evils. 

With a sigh, they wrapped themself around him, as if trying to merge both of their bodies into one.

  
  


 


	2. A Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes things are not all gloomy and dark and there's a sweet marriage happening!  
> @modernwizard, this chapter is especially for you.

“Are we  _ really  _ doing this?

\- Look.” The Master stopped dead in his track and stared at the Doctor, more than mildly annoyed. “If I am to  _ take care _ of you, I have to be with you. Which means we both have to be in the same ship. Do you want to leave yours behind?

\- No.

\- Then we're  _ really _ doing this.”

The Doctor sighed and rolled their eyes for the third time since the Master had started working a few minutes before. At least, they were expressing something other than dread and guilt, so in a way that was a progress. An annoying kind of progress but progress nonetheless. To his credit, the Master had done a lot to cheer them up and try to get them out of the gloominess that surrounded them, including licking their cheek randomly just to induce a reaction of surprise. They had jumped away and shrieked in worry that he was deciding to eat them at last. He was still laughing about it.

“You don't have to be with me all the time,” tried the Doctor once again. “I can take care of myself. Besides, you'll want to rip my head off very soon.

\- When was the last time you showered, Doctor ?” The Master looked at them pointedly, not waiting for a reply that he knew well anyway. “I do what I want. This is what I want, for now. Now please shut up and check that your ship's receptors are turned on.”

They made a big scene of pressing the right button, to which he barely reacted.

  
  


“ _ Sexy, my love, have you heard? They're going to attach us! Together! _

_ \- Is it true? Are they really going to – oh! The Master has extended your gravity anomalizers! _

\- Yes, I have,” interrupted the Master. “Are you both ready ?

\-  _ You're really kind these days, Master,”  _ commented Lucky.  _ “Helping the Doctor and tying us together...” _

The Master groaned and typed a few more lines of code in the matrix. Kind. He wasn't  _ kind.  _ But after seeing what the Valeyard had done, what they could do, after seeing what pure unalterated evil could do... He wasn't really feeling villainous. Not at the moment. Besides, the sight of the Doctor barely reacting to anything, brooding in silence and just doing what they were told was worrying enough that making them better was his priority. After all, what was the point of fighting them if they didn't resist?

“Whatever, Lucky. So... do you feel the bride in your gravity field ?

_ \- Yes, I do! It's wonderful!” _

The Master smirked and left his ship to go into the Doctor's, whose inhabitant had settled on a chair near the console and was staring into the void as they usually did.

“Stop brooding or I'll call you dark lord,” he mused. “I swear, you're even worse than your incarnation with the emotional hair.

\- Hm. Just tell me what I must do.”

Not even reacting to snark? The Master huffed a bit and guided them through the whole process, watching them move around the console. They used to dance around it, before. When he met them after their regeneration, they had been so full of life and spirits, dancing everywhere, being eccentric and odd, donning a top hat and making bubbles every single time they didn't want to answer a question. The control room had taken a shape that reflected this very well: where everything had been metal and occasionally wood and rather dull colours, plants had grown everywhere, shaping themselves around the commands and forming seats made of roots for the Doctor to sit on. No, not just the Doctor – him too. There were two seats.

The console room had become such a peaceful place, all green and bathed in a soft golden light. In such a setting, the Doctor's spleen was even more glaringly obvious.

“Alright then. Can you feel Lucky in your gravity feel?

\-  _ Yes! Yes I can! _

\- Then I pronounce you... ship and ship, I presume. This should work. Doctor? Shall we take yours or mine?”

They didn't react, just shrugging in response. Desperate to get a reaction out of them, he slapped their bottom on his way back to his ship.


	3. Big Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Master gets an idea to cheer up the Doctor - and for once, he's the one behaving quite recklessly.

The Doctor had indeed reacted – with anger. At first, the Master had found it positive to see a different emotion on his nemesis's face, until they broke down again and refused to be touched or to talk. Their silence was worse than everything else.

So he had taken them to his TARDIS, promising them a surprise, something that they had never seen before. The Doctor wasn't convinced. Nothing had surprised them in a long time and their current state made it even harder to boil with expectation. They remembered, albeit vaguely, that the Master had regenerated during a time that never was and lost all of his emotions... But now it was their turn, somehow. Except they didn't really lose them: the feelings were just buried under a deep layer of horror and pain.

The Master was humming as he was piloting his ship, the Doctor's following closely. His driving was stable and smooth, _safe,_ and in other circumstances the Doctor would have teased him about how boring this whole trip was. They didn't have the energy, the strength. They just wanted to disappear and stop existing. Why couldn't they just stop existing? Close their eyes and forego the universe for just a little bit.

But then the first turbulences appeared.

“ _Master, what are you doing?”_ said the Lucky hologram, materializing in the middle of the console room. _“Have you gone completely insane? You can't cross a Big Bang! Master!”_

The Master's only response was a sly grin and an advice to the Doctor to hang tight.

  
  


_He was really doing it. Oh, the impossible moron._

The Master had always been reckless but the Doctor had to admit this was an impressive feat. Not once had they willingly crossed the border between two universes, let alone two successive ones. It felt... it felt _amazing._

Time Lords had found out centuries before that their universe wasn't the first, nor was it unique, a discovery that had been very unpleasant for many of these very self-absorbed creatures. The main theory was that the very first universe could have been represented by a massive bubble from which smaller bubbles spawned. Each bubble would be created from a Big Bang, then destroyed in a Big Crunch, then created all over again. Earth scientists called this theory the Big Bounce. According to calculations made on Gallifrey, the universe that had just seen the Master slapping the Doctor's arse was the third of its line – and the Master was crossing into the fourth.

The Big Crunch should have swallowed them whole and killed them on the spot but he was a brilliant pilot and soon enough, he invited the Doctor to open the doors to witness the birth of a universe.

And it was gorgeous. They had never seen anything like it in the entirety of their life. The universe's density getting smaller; the very first light of this universe shining through the primordial particles; matter aggregating in front of their eyes, forming the very first dust clouds that would collapse into stars and planets and galaxies. They only realized that they were crying in wonder when the very first star started shining bright.

“ _Master, you have to close the doors now, I won't be able to keep you safe much longer!”_

Lucky's call brought them back to reality and they retracted inside the ship, their hearts beating faster than they ever had. How was it even possible? The Master was still piloting on his own, his hands moving so fast, so precisely, with his focus absorbed into their trajectory.

That was... fascinating. And maybe a tiny bit... something else.

“We're gonna have to land soon,” said the Master without raising his gaze from the control panel. “Hold tight, it's gonna be a rough one.”

The landing was indeed more chaotic than what they would have expected from their friend and they found themself thrown on the floor, luckily without any major damage. The ship finally came to a halt, its controls buzzing and even... smoking. Oh. Of course, such a reckless trip had left a few marks, and the outside was probably on fire.

For the first time in a very long time, the Doctor laughed until they cried.

  
  


 


	4. Something new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor gives their thanks to the Master in a rather unusual way and the Master reveals where he brought them.

“ _ Lucky? Are you alright? _

_ \- Yes, darling. Just... a bit... warm. But it's fine. He'll fix me. I don't understand why he wants to impress the Doctor so much. _

_ \- Don't you want to impress me sometimes? _

_ \- I do, but not by putting you into danger... _

_ \- Oh... you know, my thief loves danger.” _

The Doctor's ship was right. They adored danger. In one single trip, the Master had lifted an important part of the dark goo that was smothering their soul. It wasn't the end of it and they both knew it but it was an improvement, as the Doctor could finally feel something other than pain and self-loathing. Stopping the Master from performing the small maintenance tasks that were required to fix the damage made to Lucky, the Doctor wrapped their arms around him and leaned in for a kiss.

Kisses were not very common on Gallifrey. They were considered useless for creatures who could use touch telepathy and reach a degree of intimacy that was regarded as far greater than anything physical could be. But both Time Lords had been around Earth so much – and they had kissed so many other lips – that it just felt natural to express affection in such an odd way. Besides, this version of the Doctor needed touching. They were craving for physical touch, for the sensation of a body against theirs. A kiss was a good way to get that... but it was not quite enough.

Both ships looked away as the Doctor expressed their gratitude in a way that was very new for the two time travelers – but certainly most welcome.

  
  


“I can't see through time,” whispered the Doctor, snuggled against the Master in his bed. “I can't see anything.”

His bedroom was so different from theirs. Simple, with a large bed, furniture made of ebony, books everywhere. That reminded the Doctor of Academy days, when he was the biggest bookworm that Gallifrey had ever known – and the bar was raised high. Some things hadn't changed.

“Me neither.” The Master shifted his position to be able to hold his nemesis tighter, just like he had held them that night in the closet. Through their telepathic connection, he could see everything that the Doctor had seen of the Big Bang while he was busy piloting, and it was indeed wonderful. For the first time, the Master understood a bit of the beauty of creation. It could be just as explosive and magnificent as destruction.

And, well, it had gotten him to a place he had never thought he would reach.

As for the Doctor, they had forgotten how strong a touch-driven telepathic connection could be when two naked skins were in contact. Not just hands or lips, but the entirety of a body. Letting go in such a way, abandoning themself to the Master body and soul had been a terrifying experience – and they felt alive. Alive, at last.

“So... wherewhen are we?

\- Haven't you guessed, Doctor?” The Master chuckled and closed his eyes, breathing their scent. He was still not quite convinced that what had just happened had been real. “I wonder if the grass is still red in this universe.”


	5. Alter Ego

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time is a loop. In the fourth Universe, the Master landed on Gallifrey with a very specific idea in mind...

The Doctor had a few major objections to raise, none of which the Master couldn't deflect. If there were Time Lords in this universe, surely they would rejoice hearing about the previous universe and acclaim them – him – for this incredible feat. Besides, he could finally fix Lucky, fix him meticulously and not with chewing gum and bandaids, and perhaps... fix himself. That last argument got the Doctor. If they both were lucky, this Gallifrey held the way to stop the agonizing process.

The Master seemed fine. Anyone seeing him would have thought that he was still in his Saxon days, running around and doing his thing without a care in the world, but that wasn't true. The Doctor could see him flinch with pain every time he walked for a bit too long, they perceived his shivers of pain and exhaustion, and they knew that he spent hours on end eating everything he could lay his hands on to regain some energy. They tried their best to help but what could they do? They didn't have any regeneration left. They would have gladly given him a life but there was nothing left to give... So maybe this fourth universe's Gallifrey could help.

But there was another reason to the Master's decision to lead them to Gallifrey – one that he wasn't quite ready to disclose.

  
  


The Doctor looked at him as he wrapped the incredibly long scarf that their fourth self had loved around his neck.

“When did I gift you this exactly ?

\- I have no idea,” replied the Master with a grin. “Past? Future? All the same now.

\- You're too happy about this. You're preparing something.”

He didn't deny and simply grabbed them to roll with them in the red grass that they had both missed so much.

  
  


Everything was the same. Time was a loop, happening over and over again, at least on Gallifrey. The Master had to refrain the Doctor's enthusiasm, reminding them that they were indeed on their home planet and that some things were not exactly as innocent as they could have been on Earth. Not that he disliked their desire to hold his hand and share with him all of their enthusiasm through telepathy – but that was something they couldn't do in public. Not here, anyway. Not if the end goal of this trip was _not_ to get imprisoned for public indecency.

Just as the Doctor was wondering how much of history was the same, they laid eyes on a child. A child of about eight years old with blonde hair and a pout.

“Master, look... is it...”

Yes. Yes, it was the Doctor, what they had been a long time ago. Theta-Sigma on the day before their entrance at the Academy, right before they gazed into the Time Vortex. But something felt different – the kid held their head low and muttered something about... science? If the Doctor had read their lips correctly. But that didn't make sense. At that age, Theta-Sigma was already a troublemaker, making flower crowns for their friends and getting into the silliest situations.

“If there's a Theta, there's a Koschei,” whispered the Master, dragging them away from their questions. “I... would like to go investigate on him.”

Was he trying to save his alternate self from looking into the Time Vortex? The Doctor stared at him, taken aback by this idea – but after all, it made sense that he would try to save himself.

“Of course, my dear. I will check the library. Let's meet later...”

 


	6. Two and two

The Master wasn't too surprised to find a Koschei in this universe. A little kid with a round face – a _little bit_ round – and big eyes that used to be so mournful and sad... but who was picking flowers and making a flower crown. That wasn't usual. Back in the days, Theta had been the one making the flower crowns. But this Theta was different too. Buried in a book like the Master used to be, the child barely reacted to the offering of a flower crown as a good luck charm for the Time Vortex ceremony and threw it away as soon as possible.

The exact same scene had happened in the third universe – but in reverse. It meant Theta would be the one affected by the Time Vortex the way the Master had been. Somehow, it was even worse than what he had previously thought.

He couldn't think of a better plan than the most obvious and ridiculous one: abducting the child before the ceremony started. With some luck, it would prevent a lot of pain in this universe. Not that the Master had suddenly grown interested in peace and love, although his time spent with the Doctor certainly soothed some of his previous tendencies already, but if there was a person he was concerned about it was himself. If he could spare his other self a bit of suffering... just a tiny bit... then maybe he could find ways to heal.

  
  


The Doctor's findings in the Library had left them pale as death. They had done their very best to talk to the Lord President and convince him not to let the two children, Koschei and Theta-Sigma, look into the Time Vortex – but this idiot didn't even know what they were talking about. He didn't know who the kids were and more importantly, the name of the Doctor didn't ring any bell. All the power they could have had in the third universe was gone.

So they ran away, hoping they would be able to abduct at least one of the children before the inevitable happened.

  
  


“Alright. This time, Master, you win. We _are_ similar in the end,” commented the Doctor, an eyebrow raised in surprise while their nemesis was trying hard to restrain the young Theta, who was struggling with all their might.

“Can I hit it?” groaned the Master. “The little monster bit me.

\- You just abducted them. I would bite you too.

\- You did, several times, very recently.

\- Did you just compare abducting a child to what happened in your ship? You're disgusting.”

The Master would have replied if Theta-Sigma hadn't bitten him harshly on his wrist.

“Let me go, you big stupid ape,” yelled the child. “Who are you? What do you want? My father will hear about this!

\- Calm down, Theta. It's for your own good. Stop biting for the Other's sake!

\- How do you know my name? Who are you?”

The child kept on wiggling in the Master's grip, despite being clearly not strong enough to even think of escaping. That probably had something to do with pride... but Theta hadn't been that proud at this age. Not that they could remember, anyway.

“Look, this isn't either a joke or a game we play. We just... how am I supposed to explain this to a child like you without exposing any major spoilers really?

\- I'm a Time Lord, I'm used to spoilers,” replied the brat with an arrogant smile.

The Doctor raised their eyebrows, evidently shocked by the child's tone.

“You are most decidedly _not_ a Time Lord yet, my child. You have not even entered the Academy. We, on the other hand, are Time Lords – and unlike you, we are not _eight._

_-_ I will be nine soon.

\- We're around a thousand.

\- You don't look the part and you smell weird!”

The Doctor's face blemished and they met the Master's gaze. Neither of them had thought of showering right after their... encounter. They were both covered in each other's biomarkers and telepathic signatures and of course the child would pick it up. That was slightly embarrassing.

They would have made a snarky comment at the kid to get their upper hand back if another child hadn't jumped on their back, trying to hit them into submission.

“Let him go! Let Theta go!

\- Koschei, stop, for the Other's sake!” The Doctor groaned and grabbed the other child – they weren't very strong in this new body but still enough to overpower an eight-years old kid.

The Master got fed up with being kicked and bitten and put Theta down, letting both children go wherever they pleased. The ceremony was ruined anyway, there wasn't much more to do. The two children didn't run away immediately, checking on each other before anything else, while the Master and the Doctor got close enough to hold hands.

The Doctor showed him what had happened and what they knew, the reason why they had attempted to abduct the children too.  _To keep them from choosing the wrong name._ They had found out in the archives of the future traces of the Valeyard that were far too present, far too recurring. In this universe, Theta would never have been the Doctor, getting straight to the Valeyard. They could not let that happen. 

Tightening their grip on each other, the Doctor and the Master silently agreed to forget about the non-interference policy.

  
  


 


	7. Take care of the children

“We could also go back,” suggested the Master. “Not interfere.

\- Right, because I do that all the time, step away when something bad is about to happen. Can you imagine the universe without a Doctor?

\- Let me think... the Daleks would never be discovered, no Time War, Gallifrey still in place...”

The Master chuckled when the Doctor punched him in the arm – gently enough not to actually hurt him. Not only was he wrong, he was missing the big picture. They had come to this other Gallifrey in the hopes of fixing his TARDIS and him in the process and the Doctor wasn't one to give up. They had finally found a reason to stop feeling sorry for themself and they weren't about to let it go that easily.

The children were fighting and slowly walking away from them, as if to disappear without being noticed. The Doctor heard Theta say that he could never be friends with a “loser” like Koschei – what the... That was a horrible thing to say. They looked for the Master's gaze. Had they ever said something like that to him? They had uttered more than one insensitive sentence during their long frienemity after all, but... that didn't sound right. They intertwined their fingers with the Master's.  _ Don't worry, my dear, _ said the other's mind.  _ You've always been an arse but not that much of an arse. _

They rolled their eyes. So many things went through their telepathic connection. How they resented being reminded how destructive they were so soon after the Valeyard incident, how they had still protected the universe, how they would do it again. He tried to show the joke in his words, only to be rebutted by a firm wave of disapproval. Too soon. Far too soon.  _ If I've always been an arse, then watch me be one all over again. Go be a nuisance somewhere else, I will take care of the children. _

  
  


“I'm not a loser!” cried Koschei, his arms folded before him. “I'm just as intelligent as you are!

\- Yeah? Prove it.

\- You'll see, tomorrow, I'll look into the Vortex and I'll go to the Academy and I'll be the best student. Better than they've ever seen.

\- Look into the Vortex?” Theta huffed, an arrogant smirk spread on his lips. “You won't look into it before I do. They'll move my ceremony.

\- I don't see why they would move everyone else's ceremony because yours had a problem. Tomorrow's mine, then it's Ushas'. Wait for your turn!

\- I don't care. I want my ceremony and they won't cancel it anyway so they have to move it. They can move it to tomorrow.

\- How can you be so SELFISH?! I hate you!”

Theta-Sigma yelled a  _ I hate you _ back before running back to his home, crying. This day was to be the most important day of his life before this stupid mongrel interfered. Why did he do it? Why did these two creatures appear to steal his day? He remembered Koschei saying that the dark-haired one smelled a bit like Theta, with weird stuff on top of it – but the same underlying scent of honey. What did that mean? He would spend the whole night researching it if he had to, to get an answer.


	8. Plans and revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Old Time Lords discuss with younger ones and try to come up with a plan.

Koschei had tried to make it all up with Theta but it hadn't worked. His friend had refused to talk to him, to apologize, anything. Why was he so selfish and arrogant? Why did he have to be like this?

He was still sobbing in his house's lounge room when the slender silhouette of the Doctor slid into the room and curled up on an armchair in front of his.

“You again! Get out of my house or I...

\- Hush, child. Don't worry, I mean you no harm. I'm here to talk about your friend.

\- … Theta?”

The child's demeanor softened immediately and he stared at them with those big blue eyes. The Doctor remembered times long gone when they had drowned in these same eyes, hoping they would ever fall on them and recognize them and care about them. Back in those days, they had thought that Koschei would never care about their existence, for they were nothing but a troublemaker who liked making flower crowns while he was destined for greater things. They had been wrong back then – and this Koschei was certainly wrong now.

“Your friend doesn't seem very friendly with you lately,” noted the Doctor. Their soft voice had somehow appeased the young Koschei who didn't look at them like they were a threat, more like... a curiosity.

“I know. He's stressed out... The professors are bad with him, they want him to have the best scores, they barely let him live. His parents, they're even worse.

\- That's not how it happened...” The Doctor's voice lowered to a murmure. Back then, Koschei had been the one suffering through expectations far too high for a boy his age. “I understand how you feel, Koschei. More than you can imagine. Oh – I should introduce myself. I'm the Doctor. Now, do you have any idea of how we can stop this ceremony from happening?”

  
  


The child known as Theta was working in his room far past his bedtime. It was late and he was tired from a very emotional day but he needed to work, he needed to be the best. His family and his Kithriarch were counting on him, he couldn't possibly let them down, could he?

“Still working at that time? Children your age should be sleeping tight already, you know.”

Theta spun around as fast as he could, grasping his crayons to get ready to fight. It was him, the guy that had abducted him from his ceremony. Tall – from his point of view – with brown hair and a stupid round head. The child wanted to kill him.

“Children my age should not have old men entering their room. What do you want?!

\- I just want to talk to you. Please, calm down.

\- Yeah, last time we  _talked,_ you abducted me. Get out of here.”

He could see the guy's eyebrows raising, as if he was both surprised and impressed that such a tiny child would reply to him in this way. Well, he was in for quite a ride.

“Don't worry, kid, I'm not here to abduct you again or do anything bad to you. You're too young for me and I'm sort of engaged anyway.

\- To that weird looking guy?

\- To that weird looking  _person,_ yes. But oddly enough, I care about what you're about to become.

\- Why? We just met. You're just a giant weirdo.

\- Because, Theta, my name is Koschei Oakdown.”

  
  


“But we can't prevent Theta from having his ceremony!” cried Koschei. “It's so important to him...

\- But if he looks in the Time Vortex, I fear something terrible will happen. He will not choose the right name, if that does make any sense. He will... he will be someone he's not supposed to become.

\- That doesn't make sense. Who are you?!

\- I can't tell you who I am. But I can tell you that in the present state of things, Theta will not become what he's supposed to become... rather... something very very dark.”

Koschei stared at them and they could read all of the questions on his tiny face. It had been so long since the Master had looked so innocent... if he ever had. Probably not in their universe anyway. The Doctor could tell that the child didn't believe a word they were saying, that he didn't understand. There was only one way they could think of to make him understand.

“Look... I know all of this because... let's put it this way. I am your friend. I am Theta-Sigma Lungbarrow or rather, what Theta became in another universe. And if your Theta follows a different path, what he'll become may doom us all.”

  
  


“You're not Koschei. Koschei is small and weak and stupid, you're just weak and stupid.

\- … I am a tree, a very quiet tree ...”

The child almost laughed at the other's loss of temper. Koschei, uh? Well, no way Koschei would turn into this... thing. Whatever it was. True, they did have similar scents, although his kidnapper's was mixed with biomarkers that smelled of honey, but that didn't mean anything.

“What do you want, fake Koschei? Hm? I don't have all night.

\- Remind me to never experiment something new to impress the Doctor ever again,” groaned the Master. “You're a brat. And I'm not  _fake Koschei,_ I'm the Master, and you will... oh, forget it. You never obeyed anything anyway, no matter which timeline we're talking about.”

The Doctor? The Master? Neither of those name rang any bells for Theta. Part of him supposed that if this Master guy was Koschei, then the other person with them was the Doctor and... him? Theta-Sigma? But he would never call himself “the Doctor”, that was far too sanctimonious.

“Doesn't tell me what you want.

\- I want... well... you're taking the wrong path. In fact, you're taking the same path I took a thousand years ago... and trust me, you won't like it. Not really. You'll pretend to, but you won't. Listen to me Theta, you're about to take the wrong name... And to be sincere, I don't know if it's the way it has to be in this universe but I don't like it. I don't care if it's a fixed point or not, I can't stand to see my best friend becoming the....failure I am. I'm not here to scold you, I just want you to realise that you're more than a puppet or a little soldier into their hands. You're important to me. You're important to him. Don't let them crush you like they crushed me.”

  
  


“But, Doctor... Theta... What can we do? We can't kidnap him and bring him to a deserted island. I'm only eight years old, I can't kidnap people, especially not him.

\- Rest assured that if he's anything like me, he'll enjoy it – but he won't admit it and please never tell my companion I ever said that, he'll get ideas.”

Koschei almost smiled. That was a small victory... The Doctor could tell the child didn't trust them and they couldn't blame him. Still, he was warming up to their presence. Maybe there was a way to save this universe after all.

“I would like to be Theta's saviour but... I'm not sure I can, Doctor.

\- Oh, but you can. I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Koschei... The one who abducted your friend, the round-headed guy? He's you. He's you from my universe. And he saved me from the darkest thing you could ever imagine. He saved me from myself and he made me feel alive again and he chased some of my worries. You can save Theta – because you already did.”

 


	9. Thanks for Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children take the matters into their own hands, much to the older ones' dismay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all ! Hope you're still around despite the publication gap, I was away :D Thanks again to everyone who read/commented/left kudos and I wish you a good reading ;)

Both the Doctor and the Master had regained the safety of Lucky, hoping that their intervention had been enough to repair the dreadful situation. They didn't share what had been said during their interview with their alter-egos but that night, neither of them could have thought of sleeping alone. The Master had put the ship on auto-pilot to leave Gallifrey for a while. Asking for a new regeneration or any kind of medical help after abducting children on the planet didn't sound like so much of a good idea. Besides, with the ship sitting in orbit, he was quite certain he could have a peaceful night with the Doctor.

They were woken up by Koschei's round, smiling face.

“Good morning, Doctor! Good morning, other me! I made tea.

\- … Master? Do we have children?” mumbled the Doctor, still very much asleep. The Master ruffled their hair and told them to get back to sleep – they were not a morning person, especially after the Valeyard incident.

Theta was waiting for both Koscheis in the kitchen, looking less pleasant than ever. Somehow, his Koschei had managed to fix him a whole breakfast, which he wasn't even touching.

“Alright,” sighed the Master before sitting in front of the brat. “What the _fuck_ are you both doing here?

\- I did what the Doctor suggested,” beamed Koschei, as if he was certain that the Master could only approve.

“Oh, kid... Rule number one, you never do what the Doctor suggests. So you kidnapped your little friend here and you both snuck in the ship before we took off?”

Both children nodded in agreement. The Master grabbed a cup of tea: the day was about to become infinitely long.

  
  


When the Doctor finally emerged from their disgruntled state, they sat down at a table with the two children and the Master, all three staring at them as if they had to come up with a plan. In the Master's case, there was a touch of _you made this happen, now you deal with it while I drink tea and silently laugh at your misery._

_Thanks for nothing._

“Now, children, why on sanity's name did you board this ship with us?” asked the Doctor in the calmest tone they could conjure given the situation. “I know I _did_ suggest abduction as a possible way...

\- And you said Theta would enjoy it!” beamed Koschei, making the Master stare at the Doctor with the utmost surprise.

“Right. And I also said _not to repeat that.”_ The Doctor glared at the two Koscheis, both of them looking far too happy with the situation. “But I did not actually think you would go through with it. Keeping Theta from looking into the Vortex should have been enough and _young man if you think I did not hear what you just said you really are mistaken.”_

The young Theta gasped and looked away, surprised that insults muttered under his breath had reached the Doctor's ears.

“I don't care. What are you gonna do, punish me? I've been abducted twice in two days, you think you can do worse than that?

\- Believe me, child, I can do  _much_ worse than that. Including rinsing your mouth with soap for using such a vile language. Now... Maybe we can make something out of this situation. Master, take care of these two, make sure they behave and perhaps, I don't know, teach them a thing or two now that they're in a... somewhat safe place.” Not as safe as the Doctor's ship but it would do. “I will go back to Gallifrey and try to put some sense in their heads.

\- Since when are you the leader around here and why am I the one who should play dad?

\- Because you're physically stronger and if this one starts to bite again, it won't change you much from your daily life since you've been travelling with me.”

_ And I don't trust your diplomacy skills when it comes to the higher authorities of Gallifrey, _ added the Doctor in silence through their hands still holding tight.

 


	10. Darkness prevails

Things fell apart pretty quickly.

Despite the Doctor not mentioning any kind of trip and implying that the kids should stay in the ship, the Master took the children to Earth, where Koschei decided to get lost, resulting in a night spent in a hotel in Paris and the Master having to pretend that he was the children's father. He urged them to never call him “dad” ever again, knowing full well from Theta's look that he would use the word at every opportunity if only to mess with him.

And on the Doctor's side...

Gallifrey had been doomed from the start. The realization almost made them cry. Was there a single universe out there where their birth planet could survive? Where it could thrive and last millennia without being destroyed? Finding it again had been such a relief and for a moment, however brief, they had forgotten the pain that the Valeyard had brought. But the peace had been washed away by the simple sight of a skeleton in the depths of the Capitol's library.

The fools in charge of the Council had brought books to Gallifrey from another planet, a distant planet that had seemed to be deserted by whichever civilization had occupied it. They had not even thought to check  _ why _ there didn't appear to be any life form on a planet that had books and had brought back the contents of a library to the planet.

And with it, dreadful creatures that the Doctor had encountered in the past.

Vashta Neradas.

  
  


“I don't want to go back now,” whined Koschei. “I want a tour.

\- Yes, that's the least you can do, Master,” added Theta. “You kidnapped us. Now show us Earth! All of it! Show us Earth!”

The Master massaged his temples, feeling increasingly tired. These two would be the death of him. He was not parent material and especially not for these two overwhelming creatures who had decided to team up against him. If it hadn't been for the Doctor's message warning him not to land on Gallifrey because of the Vashta Neradas, he would already have brought them back and dumped them near the Capitol to fly away with his Doctor and possibly find a way to calm his nerves. But he couldn't, not anymore, and he wasn't sure how to break the news to the kids.

“I'm not your freaking father,” he groaned. “I won't take you on a trip.

\- We'll make you our father if you  _ don't  _ take us on a trip,” grinned Koschei.

\- That's right,  _ daddy.  _ If you don't want to be our dad, do what we say.”

At least the blond brat was smiling – and somehow, this made this whole situation a bit less horrible. The Master sighed and headed to the control room, trying to figure out where to take the two imps that would make them shut up, when a second message appeared on the screen.

_I'm sorry. I lost._

  
  


 


	11. Life, as it ends

The Master had expected the children to fall apart when he broke out the news – and Koschei did. His first worries went to his family, then to the ceremony. If the child had been anyone else, the Master wouldn't have hesitated to tell him his whole family was dead, but he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing to a kid who was him. Instead, he told them about how he could figure out a way to give them a ceremony. After all, the TARDIS had a Time Vortex, he could channel it...

He didn't expect Theta-Sigma to burst out laughing.

“Have a ceremony? That's the last thing I want in the world!” His laugh was almost turning to tears. “Leave me on Earth! I'm free, I'm finally free! I'm free from all this! They're all _dead!”_

The Master stared at the boy. He  _was_ free, more free than the Doctor had ever been, more free than either of them could have ever hoped to be. He wasn't a Time Lord nor would he ever be, and he had the chance to live his own life away from the hell that Gallifrey represented. It wasn't exactly the salvation that the Master had hoped to bring to his and the Doctor's alternate selves – but it was something.

He hadn't expected Koschei's reaction.

Koschei wanted to be a Time Lord, because it was the only way to save his planet and his family. He wanted to help. He wanted to grow big and strong and defeat the Vashta Neradas, oblivious of the fact that if the Doctor had failed, nobody could. So the child took advantage of the Master's distraction to break the console open and gaze deep in the Time Vortex.

  
  


“ _Lucky, my darling, we're going to be boarding soon. Gallifrey is burning. Is everything alright for you?_

_\- One of the kids stared into my core. Into the Time Vortex.”_

The Doctor had only been paying half a mind to the exchange between the TARDISes, focused on keeping themself together. They couldn't afford falling apart yet, not while there were still two children to rescue – but hearing this, their good resolutions went out of the window.

When they entered the Master's TARDIS, they were in a very unusual state of rage.

“YOU ARE THE KING OF IDIOTS!” they howled in the Master's direction. “I TOLD YOU TO TAKE CARE OF THEM!

\- Doctor, now is  _really_ not the time to...

\- I FUCKING KNOW IT ISN'T THE FUCKING TIME BUT YOU ARE IN SO MUCH FUCKING TROUBLE!”

This version of the Doctor never swore and even hated hearing anyone talk in that sort of vulgar manner near them. In fact, the Master couldn't quite recall having ever heard them use so many curse words in the same sentence, no matter which incarnation.

“Koschei...” For a second, the Master hoped that this was the Doctor calming down and addressing him – but no, they were talking to the child, still very shaken up by his encounter with time itself. “Why did you do this?

\- Because I don't have a life anymore,” whispered Koschei. “Gallifrey is destroyed. Even you could do nothing... But I will. I'm so much more than a Doctor. I know... everything.

\- Including how to get your ankles to deflate a bit?” snarked the Doctor, putting their hands on their hips. “You're not so different from your previous self in the end...

\- That was low,” commented the Master.

“You shut your mouth and pretend you are a potted plant, or else.” The Doctor's glare was intense enough that the Master chose to remain silent, at least for a while. A fight to death in front of the kids wasn't exactly going to help the situation. “Children, I know of a shelter for alien kids in London. It should still exist in this universe. You two will stay there. And in the meantime, the Master and I, we will do our usual thing.” The Doctor's tone was once again very commanding. The Master would never have admitted it to their face but he kind of... enjoyed it when they were like this. Now wasn't the time for that kind of thing anyway.

Theta seemed  _thrilled_ by the idea of staying on Earth and Koschei... Koschei looked utterly broken. But he would survive. He would survive and grow up and one day, he'd come back and save the world. 

And in the meantime, the Doctor and the Master would do  _their usual thing,_ whatever that meant.

 


End file.
